Gas compressor and pump.



A. J. WEST.

GAS comrnnsson AND PUMP. APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1911.

1,052,541. Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

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Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

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' A. J. WEST.

GAS comrnnsson AND PUMP.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1911. 1 ,O52,541

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"kw H WITNESSES comma; PLANonnAg A. J. WEST. GAS COMPRESSOR AND PUMP.APPLICATION FILED JULY 12I 1911.

1,052,541. Patented Feb. 11,1913.

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ARTHUR J. wns'r, or BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS COMPRESSOR AND PUMP.

Application filed July 12, 1911.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11,1913.

Serial No. 638,133.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. VEST, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bethlehem, in the county of Northampton and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GasCompressors and Pumps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to discharge valves for air compressors, andparticularly to valves of the combined mechanically operated andautomatic type. In such valves the valve member proper is moved to itsclosing position either by mechanical contact by a positively operatedplunger or by such plunger through the medium of an interposed aircushion. The valve is subsequently released by said plunger so as to bepermitted to open when the total outward pressure predominatessufficiently over the inward pressure to overcome the friction andinertia of the valve. These are often great enough to require an unduepredomination of such pressure resulting in a deranged valve action andconsequent losses of efficiency. In a co-pending application, Serial No.688,132, filed July 12, 1911, I have described a means for overcomingthis defect, such means being dependent upon the use of differentialpressure to operate the valve.

By my present improvement I cause the retractile movement of themechanically operated plunger to exert an elastic pressure upon thevalve in an opening direction, near the end of the plunger stroke. Thispressure is exerted preferably through an air cushion and isapproximately suflicient to overcome the friction and inertia of the.

valve. The degree of such pressure may be varied by the design of thevalve, and may be made suflicient to permit the use of a valve of thepiston type having metallic claimed in the present application.

There are various other advantages incident to the construction shownand these will appear from the description to be given in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, illustrating one embodiment of myinvention, which however, is susceptible of modification in variousrespects.

Figure 1 is a plan View of an air pump cylinder showing my improvedvalve attached; F ig. 2 is a vertical section of the same on the line 22of Fig. 1; and Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are vertical sections through the centerof a discharge valve showing it closed, closed but ready to open, andfull open, respectively.

In the drawings 1 represents the air cylinder provided with a piston 2carried on a piston rod 3, and 4 is the discharge or air delivery pipe.

5 are the air inlet ports and 6 the air inlet valves which are hereshown arranged in pairs in the opposite ends of the cylinder, thesevalves being of any suitable type and being actuated through links 7 bythe arms 8 upon the rock shafts 9 and 9. These rock shafts 9 and 9 haveparallel rocker arms 10 connected together by a connecting rod 10. Therock shaft 9 carries an arm 11 connected by an eccentric rod 12 to theusual eccentric, not shown. In this way the valves are actuated in theproper order by the rotation of the eccentric.

13 represents the discharge valve structure which consists of a plunger14 and a floating valve 15 later to be described in detail. The plungeris actuated through links 16 by the rocking of the arm 17 carried by therock shaft 18. These rock shafts 18 are linked together to move inunison by a connecting rod 19 connected to rocker arms 20 approximatelyparallel to each other. Short links 21 connect the rod 19 with an arm 22on the rocker 23 and this rocker 23 carries an arm 24 connected by a rod25 to a second eccentric, not shown. The rotation of this eccentriccauses actuation of the discharge valves in the proper sequence.

The above enumerated mechanism is described merely to illustrate anactuating mechanism suitable for use with the type of valve now to bedescribed, and is not Any equivalent mechanism might be used, theessential requirement being the operation of the valves at the propertimes.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, 26 is a valve cagetightly fitting in the cylinder head at the points 27 and :28 and havingports 29 and 30 in free communication with the air discharge passage 4.A bonnet or cover 31 closes the outer end of the valve cage and isprovided with an annular guideway 32, for the plunger 14 and floatingvalve 15. This bonnet is held in place by studs 33 threaded in thecasting of the cylinder head and passing through the flange of the cage26 and of the bonnet 31. Thus the removal of the nuts 34 on these studssimultaneously permits the removal of the bonnet and the cage.

The cage 26 is open at its inner end to the cylinder space and slidingwithin this cage is the floating valve 15 having an imperforate headportion 35. The other end of the floating valve 15 is guided by anannular collar 37 screwed thereon and fitting closely around the outerside of the guides 32 of the bonnet 31. The sides of the float ing valveare provided with ports 36 extending nearly to the ends of the valve,and the extent of these ports determines the degree of cushioning actionas will later appear. The floating valve is provided adjacent its headwith an annular packing ring 37 making a close joint with the cage 26,and the range of travel of the floating valve is such as to cover oruncover the ports 29 in this cage. Considering the valve as shown inFigs. 3 to 5 it will be observed that when the valve is in its left handposition the discharge passage is closed. When in its right handposition air may pass from the cylinder space through the ports 29 tothe discharge passage 4.

The plunger 14 is guided within the guides 32 of the bonnet and isprovided with an imperforate head 38 which by means of the metallicpacking ring 39 makes a close joint with the interior of the floatingvalve 15, and the range of movement of the plunger 14 is such that itshead 38 over travels the ports 36 in the floating valve 15. The ports 30are so proportioned as to prevent any cushioning or air resistance tothe relative movement of the plunger and the floating valve 15 exceptnear the extreme positions of the plunger.

The operation of the device is as follows The eccentrics are so timedthat when the piston 2 is at the end of its compressive stroke towardone end of the cylinder the plunger will have moved forward sufficientlyto force the floating valve 15 into its closed position as illustratedin Fig. 3. It will be noted that there is no metallic contact betweenthe plunger and floating valve in this action. There is an interveningair cushion between the heads 38 and 35 of the plunger and valverespectively, the depth of this cushion being determined by the distancefrom the ports 36 to the head 35 as above stated. Toward the end of thesucceeding suction stroke the plunger 14 moves outwardly thus releasingthe discharge valve, but the pressure in the dis charge or delivery pipepenetrating through the ports36 of the floating valve 15 holdsand theannular collar 37 carried by the floating valve. Thereafter an openingtendency is exerted on the valve. The degree of this opening tendencymay be increased by increasing the distance from each of ports 36 to theannular collar 37*, and the distance is preferably such that thisopening tendency is sufficient to compensate merely for the friction andinertia of floating valve 15. The floating valve 15 thus {will remainclosed until the pressure within the cylinder equals or predominatesover that in the delivery pipe. Then the floating valve 15 movescompletely to the right and opens the discharge passage through theports 29. The floating valve is brought to rest gently by the aircushion formed between the heads M 35 and 38 and by the over travel ofthe annular collar 37 a past the ports 30. The plunger 14 then moves tothe left carrying the floating valve with it to close the ports 37. Aninspection of Figs. 3, 4 and 5 will show that the valve cage 26 isformed to provide an annular recess or chamber 41 between the walls ofthe floating valve 15 and the walls of the cage 26. As the floatingvalve moves toward the closed position, as shown in Fig. 3, a portion ofthe collar 37 enters the chamber 41 and the cushioning action of the airconfined in this chamber brings the floating valve torest withoutslamming, and the pressure of the imprisoned air exerts a certaintendency toward the opening of the vlave. This feature combined with thepiston type of valve results in extremely quiet action and is animportant element of my invention. 'This cycle is repeated for eachcycle of the pump cylinder.

It is apparent from the above description that I have provided afloating valve which is adequately guided at both ends independent ofthe plunger which also is adequately guided in fixed ways. The valvejoints are formed with piston rings thus securing tightness, and thefriction of the valve against opening is overcome mechanically ate aircushions- In this manner all slamming and pounding of the valves isobviated. It will also be noted that the valve is wholly free of springsor the like and may be removed intact for inspection or repair.

As has already been stated the opening tendency exerted upon thefloating valve by the plunger may be varied by varying the design of theports 36, and although I prefer to so design the valve that it will openautomatically when the pressure in the cylinder equals the pressure inthe delivery pipe, nevertheless, it is apparent that the valve may bearranged to open at a time when the cylinder pressure is lower than thedelivery pipe pressure, in case this should be for any reason desirable.

WVhile I have represented the inlet and outlet valves as both arrangedin pairs, I do not mean to restrict myself thereto, and may use a singleinlet and a single outlet valve at each end of the compression cylinder.The claims of this case are therefore to be read and understood aswholly unaffected by the number of such valves employed.

Having thus described the invention what I claim is 1. The combinationof a gas pump cylinder; a discharge pipe therefor; suitable valveactuating mechanism; an inlet valve; a valve cage having ports leadingto the discharge pipe; a discharge valve cont-rolling said ports andsubject on one side to the pressure in the pump cylinder and on theother to the pressure in the discharge pipe, and a plunger moved by thevalve actuating mechanism and adapted to exert elastic pressure upon thedischarge valve alternately in opposite directions.

2. The combination of a gas pump cylinder; a discharge pipe therefor;suitable valve actuating mechanism; an inlet valve; a valve cage havingports leading to the discharge pipe; a discharge valve controlling saidports and subject on one side to the pressure in the pump cylinder andon the other to the pressure in the discharge pipe; and a plunger movedby the valve actuating mechanism and adapted to exert pressure throughintervening air cushions, upon the discharge valve alternately inopposite directions.

3. The combination of a gas pump cylinder; a discharge pipe therefor;suitable valve actuating means; an inlet valve; a valve cage havingports leading to the discharge pipe; a bonnet therefor, provided withguide ways; a discharge valve controlling the discharge ports and guidedby the cage and by the guide ways of the bonnet, said valve being on oneside subject to pressure in the pump cylinder and on the other topressure in the discharge pipe; and a plunger also guided in Ways in thebonnet, moved by the valve actuating means and having a head adapted toexert an elastic pressure upon the discharge valve alternately inopposite directions.

4. The combination of a gas pump cylinder; a discharge pipe therefor;suitable valve actuating means; an inlet valve; a valve cage havingports leading to the discharge pipe; a bonnet therefor, provided Withguide ways; a discharge valve controlling the discharge ports and guidedby the cage and by the guide Ways of the bonnet, said valve being on oneside subject to pressure in the pump cylinder and on the other topressure in the discharge pipe; and a piston moved by the valveactuating means and sliding within the discharge valve so as to exertpressure thereon through intervening air cushions, alternately inopposite directions.

5. In a discharge valve for pumps having a delivery passage, thecombination of a discharge valve subject to the opposing pressures ofair in the pump and in the passage; and means for exerting an auxiliarypneumatic pressure other than the pressure in the pump upon the valve inan opening direction.

6. In a discharge valve for gas pumps having a delivery passage, thecombination of a discharge valve subject to the opposing pressures ofair in the pump and in the delivery passage; and means for periodicallyexerting pneumatic pressure upon the valve alternately in an opening andclosing direction.

7. In a discharge valve for gas pumps having a working cylinder and adelivery passage, the combination of a discharge valve subject to theopposing pressures in the cylinder and passage respectively, said valvebeing provided with lateral apertures and air tight ends; and areciprocating piston moving within the valve and over traveling saidlateral apertures, whereby air cushions are formed between the pistonand the valve to urge the valve alternately in opposite directions nearthe extremes of the piston strokes.

8. In a discharge valve for gas pumps having a delivery passage, thecombination of a discharge valve of the piston type subject to theopposing pressures of air in the pump and in the delivery passage; andmeans for alternately exerting pneumatic pressure upon the valve inopening and closing directions.

9. In a discharge valve for gas pumps having a delivery passage, thecombination of a discharge valve of the piston type subject to theopposing pressures in the pump and in the delivery passage; a pneumatic&

cushioning device adapted to check the closthe valve; and means forperiodically eX- ing movement of the valve; and means for periodicallyexerting pneumatic pressure upon the valve alternately in opening andclosing directions.

10. In a discharge valve for gas pumps having a delivery passage, thecombination of a discharge valve subject to the opposing pressures inthe pump and in the delivery passage; a pneumatic cushioning deviceadapted to check the closing movement of erting pneumatic pressure uponthe valve alternately in opening and closing directions.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification inthe presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

ARTHUR J. WE ST.

Witnesses B. A. BRENNAN, J. E, PIOKARD.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

